Bail and can



Dec. 4, 1951 F: COLE 2,577,001

BAIL AND CAN Filed June 4, 1949 26 L54 Z4 Z5 35 INVENTOR Patented Dec.4, 1951 UNITED STATES RQTENT ()FFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a bail fora can or bucket and to a canor bucket provided with such bail.

A purpose of the invention is to stabilize a ball when attached to a cansuch as a paint can so that it will not swing down but will remain erectunless deliberately detached.

A further purpose is to permit ready insertion and removal of adetachable bail, while assuring firm connection of the bail to the can.

A further purpose is to provide offsets on the bail which engage theoutside of the top of the can as well as hooks on the ball which engagethe under side of the top of the can.

A further purpose is to extend hook bodies and hook ends throughdiametrically placed recesses in the top of the can.

A further purpose is tov locate the bail receiving recesses atdiametrically spaced points in the bottom of the annular recess in thetop of a paint can or the like.

Further p' rposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate a few only of the numerousembodiments in which my invention may appear, choosing the forms shownfrom the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactoryoperation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a paint can and bail, the bail beingready for insertion into the can.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a can, suitably a paint can ready toreceive a bail with a dot-. and-dash showing Q-f the ball, the bailbeing broken away.

Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 showing the bail fullyinserted and standing upright.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary radial section through one of the bailreceiving recesses of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary circumferential section through one of thebail receiving recesses of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 5, showing the positionassumed by the hook and when a full can is lifted.

Figures 7 and 8 are fragmentary radial sections through the bailreceiving opening showing variations in the can and bail.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referrin to thedrawings:

fiic lty has. been enc un ered i din cans and the like, especially paintcans. When reference is made herein to a can, it is intended to includeany similar construction such as a bucket, drum or pan, which maysimilarly be connected with a bail.

Paint cans are in some cases equipped with external bells which receivehandles. These are expensive to apply and generally inconvenient whenthe cans are packed in cartons. It is therefore desirable to avoid theuse of bells as far as possible.

By the present invention a can such as a paint can is readily providedwith a bail which may be shipped with a can or which may be employed asan attachment to be used on any can.

In order to equip the can with a bail, it must be provided with suitablydiametrically spaced bail receiving openings in the top of the can.These openings can very desirably be applied at the bottom of theannular recess commonly used in the top of paint cans, in which case theopenings perform the additional function of draining the recess toreturn any paint collecting in the recess to the can. t

The bail in accordance with the present invention does not readilydetach from the can unless a deliberate eifort is made to detach it, andwhen connected with the can will readily remain upright when not in use.

In the drawings I show a can suitably a typical paint can provided witha bottom 2|, a circumferential side wall 22, an outer top rim 23 and anannuar top wall 24 inwardly terminating in a center opening 25 which iscovered bya lid. In the particular construction shown, between the rim23 and the opening 25 the top wall contains an annular recess 26 inWhich the flanged lid of the paint can normally engages in closing thecan.

At the bottom of the recess 26, suitably at diametrically spaced points,bail receiving openings 21 extend downwardly through the top of the can.It will be evident that whether the bail is inserted in these openingsor not, they will permit drainage of paint collecting in the recess 25back into. the can and thus will perform a useful function. When the canis closed by the lid these recesses of course are sealed.

The bail, suitably of steel or other structural metal alloy wire,comprises a loop 28 suitably having an eye at in the center to maintainthe bail centralized when hanging on a nail. The ends 3! of the loop aresubstantially parallel and connect to offsets 32 extending transverselyof the ends 3| and preferably lying in the plane of the loop. Theoffsets aid in retaining the posi- 3 tion of the bail when it is in thecan as later explained.

Beyond the offsets the unitary wire of the bail forms hook bodies 33which as shown are desirably extending in the plane of the loop andparallel to the loop ends 3i but displaced inwardly from the loop endsdue to the offsets in the preferred form. The hook bodies 33 connectwith hook ends 3d which in active position of the bail are reverselybent as best seen in Figure with respect to the hook bodies andextending transversely to the plane of the loop in the same direction.

In operation the bail is brought into contact with the can with the looplying practically in the plane of the top of the can as shown in Figures1 and 2, and the hook ends are inserted through the bail receivingopenings 27 at the bottom of the annular recess 26 in the top of the canuntil the hook bodies 33 engage the walls of the openings 2! at the bendbetween the hook ends and hook bodies. The bail is then rocked upwardlyto the position of Figure 3, pivoting about the points at which the bailpasses through the bail receiving openings 21' and attaining a positionas seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5 in which the hook bodies 33 pass throughthe bail receiving openings and the hook ends contact the under side ofthe top of the can at 35. In this position the oiTsets 32 contact therim of the can and prevent the hook bodies from descending farther intothe hook receiving openings.

Thus in the upright position of the bail the bail is prevented frommoving upward by the hook ends and is prevented from moving downward bythe offsets engaging the outside of the top of. the can. The bail cannotrock counterclockwise in the position of Figure 3 due to the fact thatit is held from rocking by the engagement between the hook ends and theunder side of the top of the can. In normal action, the bail will notrock clockwise in the position of Figure 3 unless it is deliberatelyswung in this direction because of the frictional engagement between thewalls of the openings 21 and the wire of the hook bodies, which will notpermit clockwise rocking unless the friction is overcome by exertingsome pull on the bail. A slight s ring of the wire tends to increase thefrictional engagement with the openings and hold the bail upright untilit is deliberatelv removed.

When a full paint can is lifted, there is a tendency to straighten outthe reverse bend of the hook ends and create engagement at 35' fullyacross the hook ends on the under side of the top of the can due to theweight.

The invention is of course not limited to paint cans nor to cans, butcan be applied to any similar structure having top bail receivingopenings.

In Figure 7 I illustrate a can 20' having an external flange 36 whichhas bail receiving openings 2'! at diametrically spaced points. In thisform the hook ends and. hook bodies except for dimensions may be similarto those of Figures 1 to 6 but the ofisets 32 instead of extendinginward from the ends of the loop extend outward as shown and engage onthe rim 23.

Figure 8 shows a still diiferent can 2i] employing a construction ofbail substantially identical with that of the form of Figures 1 to 6,but omitting the annular recess commonly used in paint cans, andlocating the openings 21 at diametrically spaced points in the top,- f,the can. V y

It will be evident that the invention may equally well be applied toother types of cans having still different top formations, or toshoulders which are created in the sides of cans adjacent the top.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications tomeet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident toothers skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of myinvention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claimall such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope ofmy claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A can having spaced openings for a bail in the top thereof atgenerally diametrically opposite positions, and a wire bail comprising aloop, ofisets from the ends of the loop in the plane of the loopengaging the top of the can on opposite sides, hook bodies extendingfrom the offsets generally parallel to the ends of the loop through theopenings and hook ends on the hook bodies engaging the can beneath theopenings and each extending in the same direction, and the wireterminating at the ends of the transversely ex tending hook ends,whereby the bail can be inserted in the can by canting.

2. A can having diametrically opposite bail receiving openings in thetop and a wire bail, comprising a loop, offsets extending from the endsof the loop toward one another generally in the plane of the loop, ho xbodies extending from the offsets through the openings and hook endsextending transversely of the plane of the loop from the hook bodies andeach end in the same direction and engaging the under side of the top ofthe can, the offsets engaging the outside of the top can and stabilizingthe position of the bail, and the wire terminating at the ends of thetransversely extending hook ends, whereby the bail can be inserted inthe can by canting.

3. A can for paint or the like, having an annular recess in the top andhaving diametrically spaced bail receiving openings through the bottomof the recess, and a bail comprising a loop, offsets extendingtransversely from the ends of the loop in the plane of the loop andengaging the outside of the top of the can, hook bodies extending fromthe offsets into the recess at diametrically spaced points and throughthe bail receiving openings and hook ends extending from the hook bodiestransversely to the plane of the loopeach in the same direction as theother and engaging the under side of the top of the can.

FREDERICK L. COLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 426,981 Asselin a Apr. 29, 18901,180,354 White Apr. 25, 1916 1,616,288 Taliaferro Feb. 1, 19272,195,070 Backert Mar. 25, 19% 2,397,880 Newman Apr. 2, 1916 FOREIGNPATENTS lflumber Country Date 4,568 Great Britain Feb. 24, 1904

